Merchandise display having perpetual inventory control



y 7, 1966 H. L. HANSON 3,251,476

MECHANDISE DISPLAY HAVING PERPETUAL INVENTORY.CONTROL Filed May 20, 1965\E I la-Q E 5" w Q l6 INVENTOR HENRY L. HANSON |4\ 4 a F 5 y, g /20ATTORNEY United States Patent C) 3,251,476 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY HAVINGPERPETUAL INVENTORY CONTROL Henry Lloyd Hanson, 25 Union St., Worcester,Mass. Filed May 20, 1965, Ser. No. 457,297 2 Claims. (Cl. 21157) Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of my prior application Serial No.344,286 filed February 12, 1964.

This invention relates to a new and improved mere chandising display andcooperating sets or series of cards mounting merchandise thereon. Eachset or series of cards is provided with means to support the same insuperposed condition, so that only the front card is visible, and eachcard is'easily detached from the set even though it may not be visible.

Each merchandise mounting card is provided with a tab extending from anedge thereof and each card bearing merchandise of the same character hasthe tab in the same position, but every card bearing merchandise of adifferent characteristic has its tab in a different position at an edgeof the card.

Therefore it will be seen that the customer can see at a glance the itemhe desires as no tab is obscured except by a tag of like indication, andeach piece of merchandise in a set is provided with an indicia tabhaving its own individual location so that the customer can abstract thewanted card without even seeing it as the card itself of course may beobscured by other cards in front of it,

whereas its tab cannot be obscured.

Furthermore when the piece of merchandise has been sold, it is quiteclear from a casual inspection that when a certain tab is missing, itmeans that the particular item has been sold and it can be quickly andeasily replaced by a clerk. The tabs may have appearing thereon numbers,letters, pictorial representations, colors, shades of colors, etc., toshow the characteristic of the goods on the respective cards.

The cards are mounted on a display mount which has indicated thereonrepresentations of the individual tabs in the same position that thetabs appear at the front of the display. Thus the store clerk need noteven know what it is that is missing, all he has to do is look at therepresentation of the tab on the display and go to the stockroom to getthe same thing, so that it is seen that these series of goods can bekept up-to-date and filled with the least possible trouble.

This invention is particularly adapted to the display, sale andinventory control of relatively small items and particularly those itemswhich are ordinarily sold in different sizes, colors, shades, ordimensions, such as but not limited to gun patches, cleaning brushes,screws and nails, drills, taps, dies, blades of any description,cosmetic articles, and similar articles which are customarily sold bythe piece or small set, but in which the pieces or sets vary in somecharacteristic. This type of merchandise in the past has always requireda great deal of display space but with this invention such space isgreatly condensed while no identificationis obscured.

The invention also contemplates the use of other conveniences such aspunched holes in the cards mounting the various objects so that where atap or drill is being displayed and sold, the hole will be of a sizeshowing the hole which can be tapped or the hole that will be drilled.

' Also there can be a second hole provided which shows the size of a rodwhich a certain die will thread and these holes can of course be relatedto other sizes and characteristics of the various merchandise which maybe mounted upon the cards.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth inthe appended claims.

3,251,476 Patented May 17, 1966 Reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation illustrating the invention with allof the cards in place, parts being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation of the supporting plate alone,without any of the merchandise thereon;

' FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the plate of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 shows a card only.

In illustrating one example of the invention, there is provided as shownin the drawings herein, a plate 10. This plate is preferably made ofsome kind of sheet metal, plastic or the like and it is mounted on aframe comprising members 14, 16 connected by cross wires at 18 and 20 onwhich the metal plate 10 is conveniently mounted as by bending the endsand securing the same over the respective upper and lower wires 18 and20 as shown for instance at 22 in FIG. 3. The construction at the upperend of the plate 10 is similar but is obscured by the side wire supportmember 14. Any other construction can be used, even a perforatedpanel-board or a blank wall, but.

another cross wire 24 and on this there are mounted a pair of forwardlyextending pegs 26 which extend through holes in the sheet 10 for apurpose to be described.

Painted on the plate or wall or otherwise applied thereto is a series ofsize or other indicia 28, These may be notations such as tool size orother characteristic, or shades of lipstick and other cosmetics, etc.Such information as may be needed to explain what the goods are may beused. The prices for the respective goods may also appear on the plate10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to FIG. 4 it will be seen that each card comprises a flatmember usually of cardboard as indicated at 30. In the example shownthere is a drill 32 mounted on it and there is a hole in the card at 34which is the exact size of the diameter of the drill, to indicate sizeto the user, eliminating the necessity of removing the tool from thecard.

Each card is provided with a tab which is indicated at 36. These tabsare arranged along the edges of the cards and the unique feature is thateach tab is arranged in a different position as shown in FIG. 1, foreach different characteristic of the goods that is provided in eachseries. Each tab bears indicia exactly like the underlying indicia 28 onthe plate 10. 7

Thus it will be seen that with a series of cards mounted on the plate 10or other support, the customer is enabled to grasp the tab showing whathe wants, without disturbing any of the other cards, and he merelyremoves the card in this way, leaving the tab-space blank, except forthe indicia 28 on the plate.'

At the same time the stock clerk will see at a glance which tab ismissing, i.e., which indication at 28 appears. If some or any of theseappear, then of course he knows that the respective card is missing andhe can then go back to the stockroom, get the right carded goods, andapply the cards to the plate again,

It is also clear that there is no need for the cards to be provided inany particular order. Whenever a card is abstracted, the stock clerk maymerely apply the replacement to the front of the pack, and the tab onthe card will of course then overlie the corresponding indicia 28.

Each card may be conveniently provided with a hole or holes at 38 toreceive the pegs 26 and each hole is provided with a restricted portionat 40 which is slightly smaller than the respective rod 26 so that thecards are applied to the rod merely by thrusting them upwardly until therods seat in the holes 38 and the cards are just as easily abstracted bya downward pull on the respective tab.

The wires 14 may be provided with the offsets at the upper ends thereofas indicated at 42 for the purpose of hanging the Whole device on anapertured panel board 44.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A merchandise display comprising a plate, a row of separate indiciamarkings on said plate, and means to support a series of card-likemerchandise holding members on said display in conjunction with saidplate,

a series of superposed cards, an article on each card, each articlehaving a difierence from the articles on certain of the other cards,said cards being supported by the card supporting means on said plate insuperposed condition so that only one card at a time is exposed, all ofthe other cards being generally parallel and racked behind the exposedcard,

a tab on each card, indicia on each tab, each tab being located in adifferent position along the edge of its respective card, the tabs beingaligned in a row directly superposed over the row of indicia marks onsaid plate, each tab corresponding to the indicia 4, on the plate underit, so that the indicia on the plate indicates the merchandise on therespective card under which the respective tab is arranged, so that theindicia on the plate Will identify any removed card.

2. The merchandise display of claim 1 wherein the card supporting meanscomprises a rod together with a notch in the top edge of each card, saidnotch having an inwardly located enlargement to receive the cardsupporting rod and a restricted portion slightly less than the diameterof the rod so that any card is easily abstracted simply by pulling itdown and thus moving the restricted portion of the notch downwardly pastthe respective rod.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,785,9881-2/1930 Sutcliffe 211 57 2,258,535 10/1941 Buranelli 20678 2,260,08610/1941 Matter 211 69 2,563,959 8/1951 Puckett 20678 2,771,076 11/1956Peter 12916.8X 2,969,793 1/1961 Furrer 129 16.8 X 3,189,185 6/1965Grasso 211 59 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MERCHANDISE DISPLAY COMPRISING A PLATE, A ROW OF SEPARATE INDICIAMARKINGS ON SAID PLATE, AND MEANS TO SUPPORT A SERIES OF CARD-LIKEMERCHANDISE HOLDING MEMBERS ON SAID DISPLAY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAIDPLATE, A SERIES OF SUPERPOSED CARDS, AN ARTICLE ON EACH CARD, EACHARTICLE HAVING A DIFFERENCE FROM THE ARTICLES ON CERTAIN OF THE OTHERCARDS, SAID CARDS BEING SUPPORTED BY THE CARD SUPPORTING MEANS ON SAIDPLATE IN SUPERPOSED CONDITION SO THAT ONLY ONE CARD AT A TIME ISEXPOSED, ALL OF THE OTHER CARDS, BEING GENERALLY PARALLEL AND RACKEDBEHIND THE EXPOSED CARD, A TAB ON EACH CARD, INDICIA ON EACH TAB, EACHTAB BEING LOCATED IN A DIFFERENT POSITION ALONG THE EDGE OF ITSRESPECTIVE CARD, THE TABS BEING ALIGNED IN A ROW DIRECTLY SUPERPOSEDOVER THE ROW OF INDICIA MARKS ON SAID PLATE, EACH TAB CORRESPONDING TOTHE INDICIA ON THE PLATE UNDER IT, SO THAT THE INDICIA ON THE PLATEINDICATES THE MERCHANDISE ON THE RESPECTIVE CARD UNDER WHICH THERESPECTIVE TAB IS ARRANGED, SO THAT THE INDICIA ON THE PLATE WILLIDENTIFY ANY REMOVED CARD.